ISSN (Online) 2278-1021
ISSN (Print) 2319-5940
International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer and Communication Engineering
Vol. 4, Issue 3, March 2015
Emerging Trends in Changing HR Technology
and its Landscape
Dr. N. Muthu1, K.R. Kishore Kumar2, S. MuthuKumar3
Professor, Department of management studies, Saveetha Engineering College, Chennai 1
Research scholar, Department of Management Studies, St Peters University, Chennai2,3
Abstract: Technology is changing everything and impacting most every part of every business. Innovative human
resource practices have reengineered the old process. Today human resource managers have innovated their way of
hiring and recruiting employees. Innovative HR practices have overcome various human capital challenges viz.
geographical limitations, mobilization etc. Human resources technology helps in all processes from recruit to retire
functions and has drastically changed the way employees and managers get access to the human resource data. The past
decade taught business firms everywhere a humbling lesson. Domestic companies learned that they can no longer
ignore global markets and competitors. Successful firms in mature industries learned that they cannot overlook
emerging markets, technologies, and management approaches. Companies of every sort learned that they cannot remain
inwardly focused, ignoring the needs of customers and their environment. The key components to an effective human
resource team consist of finding solutions that address their biggest challenges with respect to personnel and
technology. Using the best in HR Technology to stay ahead of the curve just makes sense. This paper explores the
available technology and its usefulness in executing the managerial functions and challenges faced by them. Indeed
technology rules the world and HR people enjoy the fruits of benefits and one can not wish away the organizational
which can accommodate with caution and human touch. No one can deny the fact that no doubt that technology has
made it easier and faster to gather, collate, and deliver information and communicate with employees. More
importantly, it has the potential to reduce the administrative burden on the HR department so it is better able to focus
on more meaningful HR activities, such as providing managers with the expertise they need to make more effective HR
related decisions. Mobile technology adds values to the HR and presents numerous web based applications to HR
people.
Keywords: HR technology, technology tools, competitive advantage, M commerce
INTRODUCTION
'Innovation is the ability to see change as an
opportunity, not a threat'-- Steve Jobs
Web-based technology has been an important
development in enabling HR to reduce transactional
activities and increase customer and strategic services. In
today‟s environment multinational organizations have to
manage a global workforce to achieve sustainable growth.
The people in the organization are the most important
component to sustain business results. 2014 was the year
that cloud went mainstream, especially in HR. As the
economic downturn leveled out, and some regions saw
signs of growth or at least a form of stabilization, HR
departments everywhere came to realize that technology
support has fundamentally changed and it‟s time to act.
What‟s different this time is that new HR technology is
not meant to make the HR department more efficient, but
focuses beyond HR, to increase the user experience, to add
value across the business, and to improve competitiveness.
The role of the HR professional has changed
fundamentally as a result of technology. The core
competencies that have developed are mastery of HR
technology, strategic contribution, personal credibility, HR
delivery,
and
business
knowledge.
Figure No. 1.Major HR components
(Source : www.4.bp.blogspot.com)
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ISSN (Online) 2278-1021
ISSN (Print) 2319-5940
International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer and Communication Engineering
Vol. 4, Issue 3, March 2015
Today‟s HR practices has broken the geographical and
cultural barriers and helped the human resources to move
worldwide and to choose the best job according to their
talent. This innovative and technological advent in HR
practices has benefited both the recruiter and the job
seekers and ultimately the corporate world. Introducing
new technologies does not guarantee positive outcomes.
Simultaneous developments in leadership, financial
resources, personal and organisational relationships,
engagement with workers and families, care coordination
and staff development are needed. The most important
question to address may not be how are staff currently
being reorganised in the wake of new technologies, but
rather how should staff best be deployed to take full
advantage of the potential available.
THE ROLE OF HR IN AN IT-ENABLED
ORGANIZATION The impact of technology has
fundamentally changed the HR role. It has enabled HR to
(1) decrease its involvement in transactional activities, (2)
increase its focus on the customer, and (3) increase its
delivery of strategic services. As a result, several core
competencies have emerged that are critical to the
development of the HR professional.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Stavrou-Costea (2005), We must first examine the
influence an HR division has in a business arena. HR units
are established to systematically supply and monitor
intelligence on a regular basis to produce effective
strategic systems. These strategies contribute to an
organization‟s culture and performance by managing
personnel conflicts and challenges. For example, an HR
management team typically provides the following
organizational functions with respect to personnel: (a)
training, (b) development, (c) efficiency, (d) flexibility, (e)
compensation, (f) employee turnover, (g) the cost per hire,
(h) job satisfaction, and (i) performance evaluation.
According to a survey by Towers Watson „One-third
(31%) of organizations intend to increase their spending
on HR technology in the next year in order to boost
growth and improve efficiency.
According to Calhoun et al.,
IT is an important
component of the organizational decision process. The use
of IT is always based on the needs of an organization and
the nature of information systems varies depending on the
particular form taken by the organization. Some
researchers investigated the relationship between
organization characteristics and the use of IT, and factors
influencing the use of IT in organizations.
According to Laursen, it is unlikely that new innovative
HRM practices will be equally effective across different
sectors. On the other hand, Budhwar and Boyne compared
HRM practices in public and private sector organizations
and their results showed a number of differences in the
HRM systems in these sectors. The key areas of their
analysis include recruitment and selection, pay and
benefits, training and development, employee relations
with emphasis on key HRM strategies. These may be
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taken as evidence of the fact that the impact of IT on HRM
functions may show differences between sectors.
According to their website, "Twitter is a simple tool that
helps connect businesses more meaningfully with the right
audience at the right time." Twitter can be powerful for
small companies or a recruiter who wants to get an edge
over the competition. The easiest way to recruit is to tweet
jobs you have available.
Appelbaum (2001), Human resource management
practices is the management of people within the internal
environment of organizations, comprises the activities,
policies, and practices involved in planning, obtaining,
developing, utilizing, evaluating, maintaining, and
retaining the appropriate numbers and skill mix of
employees to achieve the organization‟s objectives.
Calhoun et al, studied the impact of national culture on
information technology usage in organizations and
reported the association between some organizational
characteristics and use of IT.
Khan (2010), revealed that in energetic business
atmosphere, there is a need of an approach to achieve
better performance, to originate and implement HRM
practices. In considerable and insubstantial extent the
organizations need to invest in such practices to get a
competitive advantage.
Stahl et al., (2012), examined the extent of use of IT in
various small and medium business organizations in
Brunei Darussalam. Their study attempted to assess the
depth and breadth of IT usage in business. They concluded
that the chief executive‟s computer knowledge is
positively associated with the use of IT and that businesses
in different sectors have different information processing
needs.
SPREADING HR TECHNOLOGY WINGS
“It’s not so much that we’re afraid of change, or so in love
with the old ways, but it’s the place in between that we
fear… it’s like being between trapezes. It’s Linus when his
blanket is in the dryer. There’s nothing to hold on to.”-M. Ferguson Gen-Y technology use
This generation uses technology at greater rates and in
different ways than those from other generations: 97%
own a computer, 4% own a cell phone, 76% use Instant
Messaging, 15% of IM users are logged on 24 hours a
day/7 days a week, 34% use websites as their primary
source of news, 28% own a blog and 44% read blogs, 49%
download music using peer-to-peer file sharing , 69% of
students have a Facebook account (Source: Connecting to
the Net.Generation) "We've seen the first wave of
technology enter the workplace and HR department.
Today, companies have automated many processes and
eliminated unnecessary work."--Larry Dunivan, VP,
Global HR solutions for Lawson Software. According to a
new report by the Society for Human Resource
Management (SHRM), Globalization, demographic
changes, heightened regulatory compliance and emerging
technologies are all key developments set to transform the
practice of global HR. HR will need to respond
accordingly. HR managers are incorporating technology as
management resource. For example, technology tools like
(a) automated manufacturing processes, (b) personnel
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ISSN (Print) 2319-5940
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software packages, intellectual property rights (c) measure strengths and weaknesses in performance and
communication, (d) collaboration, and (e) internet and progress outcomes (Seyed-Mahmoud, 1999).
intranet systems can help HR management teams to
Table No.1 Technology Spheres
TECHNOLOGY : GLOBAL VS INDIAN SCENARIO
GLOBAL SCENARIO
INDIAN SCENARIO
 IT‟s
advancement
is
beyond  Creating opportunities for the „out-of-the-mainstream‟
imagination.
candidates.
 Integrate the world economy through  India is a popular choice for outsourced services because it
removal of barriers.
offers 24*7 services by reduction in costs while maintaining
quality.
 Global sourcing of technology related
services have grown.
 Every job created in IT-ITeS sector accounts for creation of
four jobs in rest of the economy.
 There is growth in spending on
technology products & related services  Some flagship companies that are providing good career in
sector.
IT-ITES sector are - Infosys technologies, TCS, Wipro
Technologies, Tech Mahindra, Persistent, Cognizant,
 Global IT spends projected to grow at
Amdocs, Cybage, Castech, HCL technologies, Satyam
steady rate.
Computers etc.
“The ability to learn faster than your competitors may be
the only sustainable advantage” – Arie De Geus, former
head of planning at Royal Dutch Shell Innovations and
technology has also grappled the HR recruitment
practices. HR has adopted a new, varied and dynamic
recruitment processes by using social media and mobile
applications as a tool of recruitment. This has not only
helped in absorbing the right candidate at right position in
an organization but have also benefited in employees
growth
by
mobilizing
the
talents.
Figure No.4 HRM in dynamic environment
Technology and HRM have a broad range of influences business expectations and interactions with one another
upon each other, and HR professionals should be able to and the world around them.
adopt technologies that allow the reengineering of the HR
APPLICATION AREAS OF TECHNOLOGY IN
function, be prepared to support organizational and workHRM-FEW EXAMPLES
design changes caused by technology, and be able to
• Application tracking system
support a proper managerial climate for innovative and
• ASM- a web based employee assessment tool
knowledge-based organizations. In addition, the effective
(application server model).
use of technology can enable organizations to track
•
CPM- computerized performance monitoring
employees and reach out when required. Today the social
•
E- Recruitment software.
networking sites viz. facebook, twitter, LinkedIn etc. are
•
Executive & key people management software
used as an innovative tool to recruit the capable and
•
Internal mobility software
efficient human resources in any organization. Technology
•
Performance management software
is moving beyond its role as a business enabler and
• Vendor management system
become further ingrained in the life and work styles of the
• Virtual office system
future workforce, while also changing employee and
• Workflow technology
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ISSN (Online) 2278-1021
ISSN (Print) 2319-5940
International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer and Communication Engineering
Vol. 4, Issue 3, March 2015
TECHNOLOGY IN HR MANAGEMENT-HRIT
LANDSCAPE
Human resource information technology = an integrated
computer system designed to provide data and information
used in HR planning and decision making. Some
organizations are close to a paperless HRM system – saves
time, money, frees staff. Technology is a key driver of
organizational change. The world has never before seen
technological changes occur as rapidly as they are today.
There is a fast-growing interest in another way of working
which combines changes, in technical and organisational
systems of choice. This is virtual working and by
extension virtual teams. Traditional HR to e-HR
significantly affected every area of human resource
management. Understanding how to grow requires an indepth understanding and clarification of the external
environment in which the organization exists. Today‟s
organizations must keep themselves open to continuous
innovation to survive.
As quoted by McKinsey Global Institute‟s The Social
Economy 2012 report “… twice as much potential value in
using social tools to enhance communications, knowledge
sharing, and collaboration within and across enterprises”
SMAC-Social, Media, Analytics and Cloud or SMAC in
short is fast becoming a priority among the HR functions
in organizations. The convergence of HR and social
technology over the last couple of years has resulted in
several social technology companies being spawned
providing a range of services in HR management such as
recruitment, talent management, analytics, social
recruiting etc. There are many new digital recruitment
companies mushrooming around the globe and they seem
to be focused on passive candidates (i.e.) mining social
networks for such candidates who are not actively thinking
about a new job and engaging with talent communities.
Most of the new HR applications are developed to be in
compatible with Smartphone and Tablets taking the
usability to a whole new level.
CHANGING HR APPROACHES
The impact of computers and the Internet is seen in nearly
all areas of business, including human resources, where
technology continues to have a significant impact on HR
practices. "We are drowning in information but starved for
knowledge. This level of information is clearly impossible
to be handled by present means. Uncontrolled and
unorganized information is no longer a resource in an
information society, instead it becomes the enemy." -John
Naisbitt, author of 1982 bestseller Megatrends.
Extrapolating trends mobile devices will play a major role
in HR in future from recruitment to retirement.
TRENDS THAT WILL RESHAPE THE FUTURE OF HR
Tremendous forces are radically reshaping work. Research by Accenture has
identified 10 business trends that will radically reshape HR in the next five years:
1. The rise of the extended workforce.
2. Managing individuals.
3. Technology advances radically disrupt HR.
4. The global talent map loses its borders.
5. HR drives the agile organisation.
6. Talent management meets the science of human behaviour.
7. Social media drives the democratisation of work.
8. HR must navigate risk and privacy in a more complex world.
9. HR expands its reach to deliver seamless employee experiences.
10. Tapping skills anywhere, anytime.
Source:http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk)
In today‟s workplace recruiting; selection; talent
management and development; employee loyalty and
engagement; as well as secure HR data maintenance; all
go hand-in-hand with the best in HR technology. In
current era of highly volatile business environment
organizations are facing emerging challenges in form of
acquisition and optimization of human resource. Being
valuable and scarce capabilities, human resources are
considered as a source of sustainable competitive
advantage. The success of an organization depends upon
several factors but the most crucial factor that affects the
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organization performance is its employee. Human
resources play an integral role in achieving an innovative
and high-quality product/ service. If the employees of an
organization are satisfied with their jobs, the organization
can achieve its goals very straightforwardly.
In any organization HRM practices focuses on optimal
utilization and management of their human resource
effectively in order to achieve maximum output.
Managing people is concerned with deciding approaches
and strategies to find alternatives of how to achieve
organization goals.
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ISSN (Print) 2319-5940
International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer and Communication Engineering
Vol. 4, Issue 3, March 2015
Employee
surveillance &
monitoring
Telecommuting
Integrating new
technologies
•
•
•
•
•
•
e-HR
Technology
Challenges
for HRM
FORECAST OF PAST- REALITY TODAY
Advances in voice recognition, wireless technology,
real time video conferencing made online interview a
reality without location constraint and cost.
Corporate career websites will have the ability to
"morph," so that the information provided to different
candidates changes to fit their unique needs.
HR will take on activities such as internet research,
desktop publishing, web page development, help desk
and computer training.
Mobile Workforce will depend on HR assistants to act
as ground control ensuring a smooth flow of
information.
More sophisticated fuzzy logic systems will, once you
identify your skills and interests, select an initial job
automatically and then "find" other "similar jobs"
using the same process that Amazon.com currently
utilizes to refer other relevant books to clients.
Smart Phones will store massive amounts of
information, music, phone numbers and will access
the internet and aid performing official functions i.e
employees would use multi-functional, wireless
technology to do their jobs from virtually anywhere.
1. HR Data is Secure in the Cloud
2. Gamification is Not Child‟s Play
3. Integrating Social Media into HR Technology Boosts
Collaboration.
4. Remote Work Arrangements are Transforming the Workplace
5. HR Technology Supports Cross-functional Teams
6. Cloud-based Business Processes Leave More Internal
Resources for HR Strategy
7. Mobile Removes Obstacles
8. Technology Helps HR Professionals Drive Performance
9. Technology is Collaborating More Too
10. HR is moving towards Global Standards
CONCLUSION
“Our assets walk out of the door each evening. We have
to make sure that they come back the next morning” -Narayana Murthy, Former CEO Infosys
Definitely, technology is revolutionizing the way we are
managing our resources Humans have an unlimited
capacity to learn. We only use about 10% of the capacity
of existing technology available in a typical organization.
Imagine the unleashed potential! David Ulrich, one of the
most influential leaders in Human Resources, highlights
the following: HR‟s role needs to be articulated in terms of
value added. HR professionals must be able to partner
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with managers on strategy – move from activity-focused
to results-focused. The strategic partner role demands a
degree of knowledge about strategy and the organization.
Results-based HR organizations are automating the
transactional work, and innovating transformational work.
Using the best in HR Technology to stay ahead of the
curve just makes sense. As HR Professionals share
information on a global scale, and companies manage
increasingly dispersed workforces, technology will
provide the necessary platform to develop consistent
terminology, metrics, and data models to support a global
HR standard. The nature of hierarchy, status, authority,
responsibility and similar other concepts vary widely
across the nations synerging system maintenance.
Organisational performance and personal success are
critical in the new era. The HR Professional MUST
Master the competencies listed in figure 1. Focus of the
modern HR has changed from execution, order and control
in to adaption, Innovation and speed with focus on
customers. Hence the job of HR is to implement
programmes, systems, strategies which foster experience,
collaboration and decision making.
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